Welding Sleeve

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to welding sleeve preferably comprised of a fabric, leather, or leather-like synthetic material. There is an adjustable, secure means for attaching the welding sleeve to the lower arm of a user or to the upper arm of the user depending upon the relative position of the user compared to that of the materials to be welded. In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fabric may be impregnated with or made from a flame retardant material. Multiple welding sleeves may also be used to protect the upper and lower arms of a user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

Priority for this patent application is based upon provisional patentapplication 62/747,354 (filed on Oct. 18, 2018). The disclosure of thisUnited States patent application is hereby incorporated by referenceinto this specification.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an item of protective clothing toprevent burns to clothing and users while welding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When a person is material working on metals or other materials such aspolymers or composite materials and performing such tasks as welding,grinding, cutting, and the like, they will wear protective clothing suchas heavy welding gloves and a welding mask. They will also wear heavyshirts to afford a degree of protection to the user's arms. As theperson (also referred hereafter to as the user or the metal worker orthe welder) performs these tasks, sparks and embers are generated whichwill fly from the material surface. These sparks and embers are hotenough to burn the heavy clothing worn to protect one's arms whileperforming this work. This causes small holes in the fabric of theclothing and can also result in painful burns. These holes tend to formmost often on the sleeve covering the users forearm above where theshirt sleeve tucks into the welding glove and below the elbow.

The current solution to this problem is to use long, heavy sleeves madeof leather to prevent the burning of the arms. These sleeves can beexpensive and hot and cumbersome to wear. They tend to be heavy and alsoto restrict movement. They also protect much area that won't typicallybe exposed to the sparks and embers and as such are excessive to theproblem at hand. As the currently available long, heavy sleeves cover amuch larger portion of the user and the users clothing than isnecessary, they also tend to be expensive.

A better solution to the problem of preventing the burning would befocused on protecting the inner forearm of the metal worker from thesparks and embers while leaving the rest of the arm protected by theheavy shirt. This would enable the user to remain comfortable whilehaving full mobility and being protected from the vast majority ofembers. The present invention provides such a solution.

Additionally, when welding objects overhead, the welder will have hislower arm reasonably protected from contact with embers and sparks asthe lower arm will be positioned nearly in parallel to the fallingembers and sparks but the sparks and embers will tend to land on thewelder's upper arm. And more specifically, these sparks and embers willtend to land on the outer portion of the upper arm and over the biceps.Having a focus on protecting the outer upper arm of the welder or ametal worker from sparks and embers while leaving the rest of the armprotected by the heavy shirt would be a preferable solution. The presentinvention also provides for such a solution to this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1A a preferred embodiment of a user with an exemplarywelding sleeve is depicted. The welding sleeve is preferably comprisedof a fabric, leather, or leather-like synthetic material. There is anadjustable, secure means for attaching the welding sleeve to the lowerarm of a user. In certain preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, the fabric may be impregnated with or made from a flameretardant material such as Nomex™, wool, and the like. The weldingsleeve is preferably worn by the user to protect the portion of theusers arm and the users clothing which is most likely to come in contactwith hot material and embers generated by material finishing activitiessuch as welding, grinding, and the like and other such similaractivities and preventing the hot material and embers from striking orcoming in contact with the user and the users clothing while stillleaving the majority of the users arm and clothing uncovered by thewelding shield and thereby unencumbered from free movement and coolerthan if the user were wearing a heavy sleeve over the arm. When the useris welding (or performing other material working tasks on) an object infront of the user, the welding sleeve would be worn on the usersforearm.

By making minor modifications to the welding sleeve depicted in FIG. 1A,the welding sleeve may be attached to the upper arm of a user whichwould provide protection for the user while welding or material workingan object overhead.

While the welding sleeve of the present invention is useful whenprotecting a person performing any operation on a material that willproduce sparks, embers, molten material, or shards of the material, tomake the description of the activities a user might undertake moreclearly understood the term welding is used throughout thisspecification as a proxy for other material working activities such ascutting, grinding, soldering, polishing and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described by reference tothe following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements,and in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict a preferred embodiment of a welding sleeve inuse;

FIG. 2 depicts a profile view of a preferred embodiment of a weldingsleeve;

FIG. 2A depicts an end view of another preferred embodiment of thewelding sleeve;

FIG. 2B depicts a profile view of another preferred embodiment of thewelding sleeve;

FIG. 3 depicts a cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of thewelding sleeve previously depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 4 depicts another profile view of a welding sleeve;

FIG. 5 depicts a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of awelding sleeve with an additional piece sewn inside the welding sleeve;

FIG. 6 depicts a preferred embodiment of another welding sleeve in use;and

FIG. 7 depicts a profile view of the welding sleeve previously depictedin FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an exemplary welding sleeve forprotecting skin and clothing when a user is working with metal.Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B and the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention in use depicted therein, the welding sleeve 100 comprises awrap 120 and a means for attaching the welding sleeve 170, hereafterreferred to as a fastener 170, for securing the wrap to a user's arm200. The welding sleeve 100 is worn on the user's forearm just behindthe user's welding glove 210. The fastener 170 keeps the welding sleeve100 in place. As is clearly depicted in FIG. 1A, the welding sleeve 100wraps around the user's forearm 200 leaving only a small amount of theforearm uncovered. The portion of the forearm that remains uncovered isthe outer portion of the forearm which is that portion that is nearestto the user's pinky finger and opposite the user's thumb.

By allowing a small portion of the user's forearm to remain uncovered,the welding sleeve may be adjusted to protect the forearm of a typicaladult which also allows for the user to comfortably wear the weldingsleeve. The portion of the forearm that remains uncovered is struck withsparks and embers significantly less often while metal working than therest of the forearm (the portions of the forearm that are upper, inner,and lower when the user's hand is in a prone position with the thumbpointed inwardly (as when a person is typing on a keyboard)).

Referring to FIG. 2, a profile view of the welding sleeve 100 in anunwrapped position is depicted. The length of the welding sleeve wrap120, represented as L1, is preferably from about 80 to 95 percent of thelength of an average adult's forearm and is more preferably about 90percent of the length of an average adult's forearm. The width of thewelding sleeve wrap, represented as L2, is preferably about from 70 to90 percent of the circumference of an average adult's forearm and morepreferably about 80 percent of the circumference of an average adult'sforearm. It is desirable for the welding sleeve wrap to be comprised ofa lightweight material such as a fabric, leather, synthetic leather, andthe like. The fabric could be cotton canvas, Nomex™, wool, or the like.While the welding sleeve wrap could be constructed of a single ply ofthe lightweight material, a two ply wrap is preferable as it allows forgreater durability. When the wrap is comprised of leather, the outerleather layer is preferably significantly more durable than the innerlayer.

Attached to the welding sleeve wrap is a fastener. The fastener ispreferably located such that it will allow a cylinder to be formed bythe wrap and the fastener around the user's forearm when in use. Thepreferred material of construction for the fastener is Velcro™ due tothe durability, adjustability, and strength of the hold. In thepreferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the fastener is comprised ofVelcro™ and the length of the first portion of the Velcro™ fastener,represented as L3, is preferably from about 40 percent to about 90percent of the L1 and the width of the Velcro™ fastener, represented asL4, is preferably from about 20 percent to about 35 percent of L2. Thelength of the second portion of the Velcro™ fastener, represented as L5,is preferably from about 20 percent to about 40 percent of the L1, andthe width of the second portion of the Velcro™ fastener, represented asL6, is preferably from about 20 percent to about 35 percent of the L2.And L4 and L6 are preferably approximately equal to each other. Othermaterials, such as elastic bands with 2 part eyelet snaps, lacing, bandswith button and button hole pairings, and the like may be used for thefastener.

The fastener may be attached to the wrap such that the overlap of thetwo pieces causes the fastener to be located on either the outside orthe inside of the wrap. However, when the wrap is comprised of amaterial more durable than that of the fastener, such as would be thecase when the wrap is made of leather and the fastener is a Velcro™strip, it is preferable to have the portion of the first portion of thefastener which overlaps the wrap 120 to be attached inside the wraprather than outside the wrap. This provides additional durability to thewelding sleeve relative to having the fastener attached to the outsideof the wrap. This location of the portion of the fastener inside thewrap 120 is depicted in FIG. 2A.

Though not depicted in FIG. 2, it is preferable for the corners of thewrap to be beveled rather than sharp corners. This increases thedurability of the welding sleeve by decreasing the likelihood of acorner to be rubbing against another object directly on the sharp pointof the corner. The beveling of the wrap is depicted in FIG. 2B.

While the wrap and fastener may be any color, both the wrap and fastenerare preferably black. This helps hide any smudge marks, scoring, orsingeing due to sparks and embers impinging on the welding sleeve.

Referring now to FIG. 3, cross sectional view of the welding sleeve 100is depicted. Each of the two plies of the wrap are observable as is thefastener attachment. As described above, the fastener may be attached tothe wrap such that where the base of the first portion of the fasteneroverlaps the wrap either the fastener or the wrap is located on theexterior of the welding sleeve. In the preferred embodiment depicted inFIG. 3, the wrap is located on the exterior of the welding sleeve.

The welding sleeve 100 further may have artwork placed on the wrap. Thisartwork may be preferably added to the wrap via silk screening of ink orattached via stitching, gluing, or other commonly used means to attachartwork to a fabric. This artwork may provide an eye catching design, acompany logo, safety instructions or the like or a combination thereof.

In FIG. 4, another preferred embodiment of a welding sleeve 400 of thepresent invention is depicted. The welding sleeve 400 is comprised ofthe welding sleeve wrap 120 and the fastener 170 previously depicted inFIGS. 1-3. The welding sleeve 400 is further comprised of an insert 480that fits between the two plies of the wrap. This insert 480 ispreferably comprised of a hard, strike resistant, material which may bemolded to curve in a manner that the insert fits to the inner forearm ofthe user and provides protection against striking or glancing blows fromthe user's arm contacting the metal being worked, the tool being used towork the metal or both the metal and the tool. The insert may be made ofa plastic such as high density poly ethylene (HDPE) or polyvinylchloride (PVC), Kevlar™, other similar composite material, or sheetmetal such as stainless steel or aluminum.

In FIG. 5, another preferred embodiment of a welding sleeve 500 of thepresent invention is depicted. The welding sleeve 500 is comprised ofthe welding sleeve wrap 120 and the fastener 170 previously depicted inFIGS. 1-3. The welding sleeve 500 further may have artwork placed on thewrap. This artwork may be preferably added to the wrap via silkscreening of ink or attached via stitching, gluing, or other commonlyused means to attach artwork to a fabric. This artwork may provide aneye catching design, a company logo, safety instructions or the like ora combination thereof.

In FIG. 6, another preferred embodiment of a welding sleeve 600 of thepresent invention is depicted while in use by the metal worker 250. Thewelding sleeve 600 comprises a wrap and a fastener (not visible in FIG.6, it is hidden behind the user's arm) for securing the wrap to a user'sarm. The welding sleeve 600 is worn on the user's upper arm just belowthe user's shoulder. The fastener keeps the welding sleeve 600 in place.As is clearly depicted in FIG. 6, the welding sleeve 600 wraps aroundthe user's upper arm 230 leaving only a small amount of the upper armuncovered. The portion of the upper arm that remains uncovered is theinner portion of the upper arm which is that portion that is nearest tothe user's chest when the arm hangs down in a natural resting positionof a standing person.

By allowing a small portion of the user's upper arm to remain uncovered,the welding sleeve may be adjusted to protect the upper arm of a typicaladult which also allows for the user to comfortably wear the weldingsleeve. The portion of the upper arm that remains uncovered is struckwith sparks and embers significantly less often while metal working thanthe rest of the upper arm (the portions of the forearm that are outer,over the biceps, and over the triceps when the user's arm is in aresting position with the arm at the user's side.

Referring to FIG. 7, a profile view of the welding sleeve 600 in anunwrapped position is depicted. The length of the welding sleeve wrap,represented as L13, is preferably from about 80 to 95 percent of thelength of an average adult's upper arm and is more preferably about 90percent of the length of an average adult's upper arm. The width of thewelding sleeve wrap, represented as L14, is preferably about from 70 to90 percent of the circumference of an average adult's upper arm and morepreferably about 80 percent of the circumference of an average adult'supper arm. As with the welding sleeve designed to cover a user's lowerarm, it is desirable for the welding sleeve wrap to be comprised of alightweight material such as a fabric, leather, synthetic leather, andthe like. The fabric could be cotton canvas, Nomex, wool, or the like.While the welding sleeve wrap could be constructed of a single ply ofthe lightweight material, a two ply wrap is preferable as it allows forgreater durability. When the wrap is comprised of leather, the outerleather layer is significantly more durable than the inner layer.

Attached to the welding sleeve wrap is a fastener. The fastener 670 ispreferably located such that it will allow a cylinder to be formed bythe wrap and the fastener 670 around the user's upper arm when in use.The preferred material of construction for the fastener 670 is Velcro™due to the durability, adjustability, and strength of the hold. In thepreferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the fastener is comprised ofVelcro™ and the length of the first portion of the Velcro™ fastener,represented as L15, is preferably from about 40 percent to about 120percent of the L13 and the width of the Velcro™ fastener, represented asL16, is preferably from about 20 percent to about 35 percent of L14. Thelength of the second portion of the Velcro™ fastener, represented asL17, is preferably from about 20 percent to about 40 percent of the L13,and the width of the second portion of the Velcro™ fastener, representedas L18, is preferably from about 20 percent to about 35 percent of theL14. And L16 and L18 are preferably approximately equal to each other.Other materials, such as elastic bands with 2 part eyelet snaps, lacing,bands with button and button hole pairings, and the like may be used forthe fastener.

The fastener 670 may be attached to the wrap such that the overlap ofthe two pieces causes the fastener 670 to be located on either theoutside or the inside of the wrap. However, when the wrap is comprisedof a material more durable than that of the fastener 670, such as wouldbe the case when the wrap is made of leather and the fastener 670 is aVelcro™ strip, it is preferable to have the portion of the first portionof the fastener which overlaps the wrap 620 to be attached inside thewrap rather than outside the wrap. This provides additional durabilityto the welding sleeve relative to having the fastener attached to theoutside of the wrap.

As depicted in FIG. 7, it is preferable for the corners of the wrap tobe beveled rather than sharp corners. This increases the durability ofthe welding sleeve by decreasing the likelihood of a corner to berubbing against another object directly on the sharp point of thecorner.

While the wrap and fastener may be any color, both the wrap and fastenerare preferably black. This helps hide any smudge marks, scoring, orsingeing due to sparks and embers impinging on the welding sleeve. Thewelding sleeve may also be decorated without varying from the teachingof the present embodiment.

Additionally, a user could wear both the welding sleeve 100 designed tocover the user's forearm and the welding sleeve 600 designed to coverthe user's upper arm at the same time for times when the user isperforming more complex metal working operations requiring protection ofboth the upper arm and the forearm.

As should be readily apparent, the welding sleeves of the presentinvention can be made smaller to fit a smaller person such as a studentlearning to weld or larger for a particularly large individwithoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Although several embodiments of the present invention, methods to usesaid, and its advantages have been described in detail, it should beunderstood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can bemade herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas defined by the appended claims. The various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present invention are by way ofillustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit thescope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand thatthe principles of the present invention may be implemented in anysuitably arranged device.

I claim:
 1. A welding sleeve for protecting the portion of a user's armdirectly exposed to hot metal and embers while welding while allowingthe majority of the user's arm to remain unencumbered comprising a wrapand fastener wherein the wrap is worn by a user over his forearm and thefastener keeps the wrap secured to the forearm.
 2. The welding sleeve ofclaim 1 wherein the wrap is chosen from fabric, leather, and syntheticleather.
 3. The welding sleeve of claim 2 wherein the fastener is chosenfrom Velcro™, elastic bands with 2 part eyelet snaps, lacing, bands withbutton and button hole pairings.
 4. The welding sleeve of claim 3wherein the wrap is two plies.
 5. The welding sleeve of claim 4 furthercomprising an insert.
 6. The welding sleeve of claim 5 wherein theinsert is comprised of plastic or sheet metal.
 7. The welding sleeve ofclaim 6 wherein the insert is comprised of high density poly ethylene(HDPE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or Kevlar™, stainless steel, oraluminum.
 8. The welding sleeve of claim 4 wherein the fastener has afirst end and said first end is fitted between the two plies of thewrap.
 9. The welding sleeve of claim 4 wherein the wrap corners arebeveled.
 10. The welding sleeve of claim 4 wherein artwork is present onthe wrap.
 11. A welding sleeve for protecting the portion of a user'sarm directly exposed to hot metal and embers while welding overheadwhile allowing the majority of the user's arm to remain unencumberedcomprising a wrap and fastener wherein the wrap is worn by a user overhis upper arm and the fastener keeps the wrap secured to the upper arm.12. The welding sleeve of claim 11 wherein the wrap is chosen fromfabric, leather, and synthetic leather.
 13. The welding sleeve of claim12 wherein the fastener is chosen from Velcro™, elastic bands with 2part eyelet snaps, lacing, bands with button and button hole pairings.14. The welding sleeve of claim 13 wherein the wrap is two plies. 15.The welding sleeve of claim 14 further comprising an insert.
 16. Thewelding sleeve of claim 15 wherein the insert is comprised of plastic orsheet metal.
 17. The welding sleeve of claim 16 wherein the insert iscomprised of high density poly ethylene (HDPE) or polyvinyl chloride(PVC), or Kevlar™, stainless steel, or aluminum.
 18. The welding sleeveof claim 14 wherein the fastener has a first end and said first end isfitted between the two plies of the wrap.
 19. The welding sleeve ofclaim 14 wherein the wrap corners are beveled.
 20. The welding sleeve ofclaim 14 wherein artwork is present on the wrap.